After unveiling a smaller, cheaper version of its iPhone 5C this morning, Apple has now brought back the iPad with Retina Display - also known as the iPad 4 - and dropped the price in the process.

The iPad 4 was discontinued in October following the announcement of the flagship iPad Air, leaving the iPad 2 as the cheaper, entry-level device.

With this latest announcement, Apple is bringing back the iPad 4, at a reduced price of £329 ($399), and discontinuing the iPad 2.

After unveiling a smaller, cheaper version of its iPhone 5C, Apple has now brought back the iPad with Retina Display, pictured, and dropped the price in the process. The device, also known as the iPad 4, is only available in 16GB models and prices start at £329 ($399). The iPad 2 has been discontinued

HISTORY OF IPADAVAILABILITY

The iPad 2 was launched in March 2011.
The third-generation iPad followed a year later, before the iPad 4 was
unveiled in October 2012.

When the iPad 4 was announced, the iPad 3 was
discontinued.

When the iPad 3
was announced, Apple discontinued the 32GB and 64GB versions of the
iPad 2, but kept the 16GB version.

It has now discontinued the
second-generation model completely.

Now.
every version of the iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3 have been discontinued and
only the 16GB model of the iPad 4, and all the models of the iPad Air
remain.

This is in addition to the iPad mini with Retina Display which has a 7-inch screen, compared to the iPad’s 9.7-inch display.

The iPad 2 was launched in March 2011. The third-generation iPad followed a year later, before the iPad 4 was unveiled in October 2012. When the iPad 4 was announced, the iPad 3 was discontinued.

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When the iPad 3 was announced, Apple discontinued the 32GB and 64GB versions of the iPad 2, but kept the 16GB version. It has now discontinued the second-generation model completely.

Now. every version of the iPad, iPad 2, iPad 3 have been discontinued and only the 16GB model of the iPad 4, and all the models of the iPad Air remain.

This is in addition to the iPad mini with Retina Display which has a 7-inch screen, compared to the iPad’s 9.7-inch display.

This announcement, coupled with Apple’s earlier statement about the 8GB iPhone 5C, signals a fundamental shift from Apple to widen its appeal and attract more customers, especially in emerging markets.

The iPad 4, pictured, was discontinued in October following the announcement of the firm's flagship iPad Air, leaving the iPad 2 as the cheaper, entry-level device.
With this latest announcement, Apple's iPad 4 becomes an entry-level 9.7-inch tablet but with higher specifications

Both devices appear to be Apple's way of offering devices with higher-end specifications to people with smaller budgets - although the prices are still much higher than products from Google, Motorola and other rivals.

Casting its net wider, and appealing to mid-tier and high-tier customers, is a tactic succesfully used by its major rival Samsung.

Reports claim Apple introduced the 8GB version and dropped because the colourful device is now price selling as well as expected.

The new model comes with 8GB of storage and costs £429 - half the size of the next model up, and £40 cheaper.

It is available directly from Apple's online stores in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and China, but not the U.S.

Apple's latest version of its iPhone 5C comes with 8GB of storage and costs £429 - half the size of the next model up, and £40 cheaper. It is available directly from Apple's online store but is only appearing in certain regions, including UK, pictured, China and Australia, but not in the U.S.

APPLE GEARING UP FOR IPHONE 6

Manufacturer Pegatron is said to be gearing up to start production of Apple's next handset, dubbed iPhone 6.

Reports claim production will begin in the 'second quarter' of this year ahead of a September launch.

The iPhone 6 is expected to launch in two different models - one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.7-inch display.

There are also claims the handset will have a display made of super-strong sapphire glass after Apple announced plans to open a mineral plant in Arizona, in conjunction with sapphire crystal makers GT Advanced Technologies.

Images of a so-called Apple Healthbook leaked earlier this week, hinting the tech giant might follow Samsung's lead and add fitness and health tracking features to an upcoming device.

It is not yet clear why this is.

Network operator O2 has also released tariff prices, starting at £28 a month for 500 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB data – although customers will need to pay £49.99 for the handset upfront.

Aside from the drop in memory, the 8GB iPhone 5C is identical to the 16GB and 32GB models in terms of other specifications.

There is an £80 price difference between the 16GB and 32GB versions - £469 and £549 respectively.

The iPhone 5C was launched at the same time as Apple’s high-end model, the iPhone 5S, in September.

Despite the company posting record sales figures for the final quarter of last year, it’s believed the bulk of these were made up with the iPhone 5S, which starts at £549 for 16GB.

Further reports claimed at least a million of the cheaper models are sitting in warehouses because demand is lower than anticipated.

Aside from the drop in memory, the 8GB iPhone 5C is identical to the 16GB and 32GB models in terms of other specifications. The iPhone 5C, pictured, was launched in September. Reports earlier this year claimed at least a million of the cheaper handsets are sitting in warehouses because demand is lower than anticipated

By comparison, Motorola's Moto G, pictured, released in August, comes in a range of colours, like the iPhone 5C, has a 4.5-inch screen, compared to Apple's 4-inch display, and comes with 8GB of storage for just £135. This is a more than third of the price for Apple's latest low-end handset

Since 2007, Apple’s handsets have been seen as high-end devices.

The release of the iPhone 5C signalled a move away from this and saw the Californian-based firm take aim at emerging markets such as China.

Despite Apple posting record sales figures for the final quarter of last year, it's believed the bulk of these were made up with the iPhone 5S, pictured

Apple’s biggest rival Samsung is popular in Asian markets particularly because of the lower prices, colourful and plastic designs, and larger screens.

The iPhone 5C ticked only one of these three boxes and is still more expensive and smaller than its rivals' handsets.

The California-based company is also expected to add a new iPhone to its smartphone line later this year, dubbed iPhone 6.

Fewer phone manufacturers are releasing phones with 8GB storage because demand is a lot lower.

Handsets come pre-installed with the operating system, and various files, and this immediately reduces the amount of available storage.

On the larger iPhone 5C and 5S models, these built-in files take up around 4GB. If the 8GB model follows suit, users will get just half of the allocated space.

By comparison, Motorola’s Moto G handset, released in August, comes in a range of colours, like the iPhone 5C, has a 4.5-inch screen, compared to Apple’s 4-inch display, and comes with 8GB for just £135.

This is a more than third of the price for Apple’s low-end handset.

However, Apple may have targeted these areas due to the rising popularity of LTE, also known as 4G. LTE is pretty well established in the U.S., for example, but it is still being gradually introduced across the UK and other similar markets.

By dropping the price of the iPhone 5C, Apple may be trying to attract people who want an LTE handset without paying the top prices.

Analysts have also claimed Apple's iPhone mid-tier market is showing signs of growing year over year, and may be another reason for the launch of the iPhone 5C and change in the iPad line-up.